Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp (Paleo Friendly)

I had a dish at the Cheesecake Factory that was awesome - Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp. I omitted the rice and black beans and asked for extra plantains and steamed veggies to keep it paleo. Alas, the shrimp was lightly breaded with some kind of flour, so I cheated a little.

I liked the dish so much, that I wanted to try to recreate the recipe, but to make it paleo friendly. Now, it did not come out exactly like the Cheesecake Factory, but still pretty darn good!


Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp McCormick's Perfect Pinch Caribbean spice blend
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can use thawed frozen shrimp too)
2 tsp ground or fresh cracked pepper, plus more to taste
1 tsp cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/2 tsp if you are sensitive to heat)
1/2 cup 100% Maple Syrup or honey*
1/2 cup coconut Coconut flour
Coconut or olive oil
1 1/2 cups Chicken broth
Large Ziploc bag
Cilantro


Optional sides
Ripe Plantain
Mango or mango salsa
Jicama "rice"

Let's Cook!

1.First, make the sauce. In a medium sized saucepan, place to medium-high heat. Pour in chicken broth, maple syrup or honey, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp Caribbean spice, and garlic.

2.  Allow to come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer between 8-10 min or until the sauce has reduced, to a syrupy consistency. It should taste sweet, with garlic flavor, and kick from the Caribbean spice and cayenne pepper. Add more spices to your taste it desired. Turn off the burner and set pan to the side.

3. In a Ziploc bag, add in coconut flour, remaining Caribbean spice, and pepper. Add in your shrimp in quarter portions. Close bag and shake until shrimp is lightly coated. Repeat for all shrimp and place aside on a plate.

4. In a separate pan, place to medium-high heat, with about 2 tbsp coconut oil. Allow to melt and spread in pan evenly. Test the pan by sprinkling some water on the surface. If it sizzles, the pan is ready.

5. Throw in some shrimp, but do not overcrowd the pan. Allow one side to brown and then toss or turn the shrimp to the other side. Total cooking time is about 6-8 minutes, or until shrimp has a nice golden brown/amber crust. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

6. Remove from pan and plate. Drizzle some sauce onto the shrimp. Garnish with Cilantro

7. Serve with jicama "rice" (jicama root pulsed in a food processor until it resembles the size of rice grains), sliced mango, and plantains.

*Some people have different opinions on sweeteners. I try not to use any processed sugars. I read online that the original recipe called for black strap molassass, and I have found that the paleo community has mixed reviews on that. I used whatever I had in my kitchen.

In my opinion, sugar is sugar, and should be eaten in moderation. Since going paleo I have reduced a significant amount of sugar intake, but I still think it is OK to indulge once in a while!

Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting

I baked a second batch of pumpkin spice cupcakes, but this time with a marshmallow cream cheese frosting. It was creamy, fluffy, with a delicate marshmallow flavor, yummy! Sorry my compassionate friends, this frosting is not vegan since the marshmallow cream is made up of egg whites - although I wonder if you could use Suzanne's Ricemellow Creme as a substitute. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out!


Ingredients
One 8oz. container cream cheese (I used whipped cream cheese-not sure if it makes a difference in texture)
1/2 cup softened butter (I used vegan butter because that's what I had on hand)
1 cup Marshmallow Creme (I used Jet Puffed brand)
1 tsp vanilla
1- 1 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1. Make sure you let the cream cheese, butter, and marshmallow creme set at room temp.
2. Whip cream cheese and butter until creamy and fluffy
3. Add in vanilla
4. Add in powdered sugar in small portions until you reach the fluffy consistency you want.
5. Add marshmallow creme - gently whisk/fold the creme into your frosting until incorporated. I liked leaving streaks of marshmallow creme in, but it is your preference.




mmm...frosting!




6. Choose your tip, and fill your piping bag - I also like to let my piping bag sit in the fridge for about an hour or so to stiffen up the frosting a bit.
7. Pipe frosting onto your cupcakes - I used a french star tip
8. If serving immediately, go ahead and eat! Otherwise, store in container in the fridge overnight. I let my cupcakes thaw for abut 30 min before serving. But keeping it in the fridge helps the frosting keep its shape.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Fall season, pumpkins, Thanksgiving holiday- all reasons to be cooking and baking. This week I had a Thanksgiving pot luck lunch at work and I brought in green bean casserole and pumpkin spice cupcakes.

The recipe is easy and yields 1 batch of 24 mini cupcakes:

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 can pumpkin puree

1/4 cup applesauce

2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 non dairy milk + 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or substitute both with 1/4 buttermilk if non-vegan)

3 tbsp canola oil

Lets Bake!

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F

2. Mix milk and vinegar in small bowl and set to the side to allow to curdle

3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl

4. In another bowl, mix sugars, pumpkin, applesauce, and pumpkin pie spice

5. Add flour mixture to wet mixture in small portions until fully mixed

6. Add curdled milk and oil and mix well

7. Batter should be medium viscosity (not like brownie batter, and not thin like crepe batter)

8. Spoon or pipe batter into cupcake liners

 

9. Place in oven, and bake for 15-18 minutes
10. Allow cupcakes to cool completely

Vegan cream cheese Frosting:

1 container vegan cream cheese softened at room temp (don't microwave)

1/2 cup vegan butter softened at room temp (don't microwave)

2-3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy and fluffy
2. Add in vanilla, spice, and mix well
3. Add in powdered sugar in small portions until you reach the fluffy consistency you want
4. Whip until fluffy - feel free to add food coloring if needed
5. Fill your piping bag and frost cooled cupcakes - I use an open star or closed star tip.  
6. Store in fridge if you want the frosting to stiffen, otherwise keeping at room temp is OK if serving in the next couple hours.  



Peach Butter Cake

Oh. Em. Gee. This cake turned out fantastic. Melt in your mouth, buttery goodness with the sweet taste of fresh baked peaches. I ate a whole loaf (well.. it was a mini loaf, but still...). This cake is also vegan, I've been practicing vegan recipes for a friend's baby shower - but you can make a non vegan version if you like.

Vegan Peach Butter Cake

Ingredients (Makes 2-3 mini loaves, or 1 regular loaf)

1 1/2 Cup all purpose flour or cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 TBSP cup vegan butter (Earth Balance) at room temp (or regular butter/margarine) or canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Tofutti sour cream or soy yogurt
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup non dairy milk
1 fresh peach


Lets Bake!

1. Set your oven to 350 F.
2. Grease your muffin pan(s) and set aside
3. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Set aside
4. In another mixing bowl, mix the butter and sugar until it is nice and creamy, tiny clumps of butter are OK.
5. In butter sugar mixture, whisk in sour cream, vanilla, and apple sauce, and 1/4 cup almond milk.
6. Add in flour mix to wet mixture little by little, whisk together well.
7. The consistency should not be too thin, should have medium thick viscosity similar to pound cake batter. If you lift your whisk and the batter drips making thick ribbons, then you are good to go. If it is on the thin side, add a TBSP of flour. If it is too thick add a TBSP of almond milk. Repeat either until you reach the right consistency.
8. Once you are happy with the batter, pour it into you greased pan(s)
9. Slice peaces about 1/4 inch thick and layer over the top of the batter:



10. Place in oven and bake 35-45 min. (Check at the 35 min mark with cake tester, if it does not come out clean, allow to bake 10 more minutes and check again. Sorry - I have not figured out an exact baking time, because, I kind of winged it.) The edges should be a nice golden brown.
11. Let the cake cool at least 15-20 min and then you can remove from the pan. Enjoy!



Peach Butter Cake with Coconut Caramel Sauce

I topped it with some homemade coconut caramel sauce. I am still perfecting this recipe, but I will post soon!

Vegan Lemon-Blueberry Cake

It's been a while since I last posted! I have not been involved in many crafty projects lately, but been occupied with summer parties and get-togethers, which involves lots of food!

This week I have been invited to a friend's engagement party, so naturally, I volunteered to bring dessert. The cake is dairy and egg free, since the couple are vegan.

Vegan Lemon-Blueberry Cake

Ingredients:

4 cups sifted cake flour (you can use regular all purpose flour, but I found cake flour makes for a less dense cake)
2 cups sugar
6 TBSP Cornstarch
1/2 TSP Salt
2 TSP Baking soda
4 TSP Baking powder
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1 cup lemon juice
Zest of two lemons
3 cups Almond milk (or other dairy free milk)
Fresh Blueberries

Let's Bake!

1. Set oven to 350
2. Combine almond milk and lemon juice and set aside
3. Cream margarine and sugar
4. Sift remaining dry ingredients in separate bowl and set aside
5. With you stand or hand mixer, pour the almond milk mixture and add flour mixture a little at a time mixing well as you go.
6. Add lemon zest and mix well. You can fold in your fresh blueberries at this step, or you can use it as a filling in the decorating step.
8. You can use a deep 9 inch spring form pan, or two 9 inch cake pans, make sure you spray with non stick spray.
9. Pour batter in cake pans, and place in the oven.
10. This can take 30-45 minutes to bake, but set your timer to 30 minutes.
11. After 30 minutes, check if your cake is cooked all the pat through, if not add another 10-15 minutes. Your cake should be a golden brown.
12. Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack (optional), or allow you cake to cool completely. If making the night before, wrap with saran wrap after cooled and place in the fridge.

Vanilla bean butter cream Icing:

2 cups vegan or vegetable shortening
2 cups vegan margarine
3-6 cups powdered sugar (sift if clumpy, this helps the icing become nice and creamy)
2 TSP vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean
1/8 cup almond milk

1. Cream shortening and margarine together until well combined. Add vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and almond milk.
2. While mixing, add powdered sugar cup by cup, until your frosting becomes nice and fluffy, it should almost double in volume. You may not need to use all 6 cups of powdered sugar, I only used about 4 1/2.
3. Place frosting in fridge for about 30 to allow it to firm up for piping.


Decorate!

1. Take your cooled cake layers and and light brush with paper towels to remove loose crumbs.
2. Ice the first layer and add your fresh blueberries (if you didn't use them to fold into the cake batter)
3. Add the second layer and ice the entire cake evenly and not too thick.
4. Place cake in fridge for 30 minutes to allow the butter cream to solidify.
5. With the food coloring of your choice, color separate batches of icing
6. With your piping bag and 1M tip, create roses on the surface of the cake, the video below is a great tutorial on how to create these easy roses for an elegant look!

Homemade Kimchi

Kimchi - can be an acquired taste, but I have met a few people who loved it on their first bite. Kimchi is essentially pickled cabbage, that tastes salty, tangy, spicy, and has a earthiness to it. It is a very popular side dish in Korea and is used to make all kinds of other dishes like:

• Kimchi Jigae - Kimchi Soup/Stew, very hearty, especially great for winter!
• Kimchi Fried Rice
• Kimchi Buchim - Kimchi pancake

It is a really versatile dish. I usually buy my kimchi at a korean grocery store, but I can't always score some freshly made kimchi in its early fermentation stage. Some people like their Kimchi very pickled (like my brother and sister), but I really like the crunch and taste of the cabbage when it has not become too pickled and tangy.

I invited some friends over for dinner this week, and plan on making a vegan korean meal. Traditional kimchi is usually made with a fish sauce or anchovy sauce - so I decided to leave that out to create a vegan version, and try and make my own kimchi for the first time!

Ingredients: These measurements and quantities make one small batch. Good for 1-2 people. I chatted with the lady who owns the Korean grovery store and she shared her recipe with me. Her kimchi is always delicious, so I took some of her pointers, and whatever I remembered from watching my grandma and aunts when they made kimchi.
1 Nappa Cabbage (usually 2-2.5 pounds), roughly cut into bite size peices
1/4 Cup Salt (Regular or Kosher)

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce (replace this with fish or anchovy sauce if you want to make the traditional version)

1 white Onion

8-10 cloves of garlic (I buy mine pre-peeled)

2 TBSP ginger

1/2 Fuji apple

1.5 cups chopped green onion

1-2 cups korean red pepper flakes (go-chu garu)

1/2 cup sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour- any brand should work)

1/3 cup sugar (I used cane sugar)

4-5 stalks green onion chopped on a diagonal
1/2 cup sliced daikon radish - matchstick sized (This is optional, I didn't have any on hand)
1/2 cup matchstick carrots (optional)
1/2 cup asian chives (optional, there wasn't any at the market when I went- darn!)

Let's Make Kimchi!

1. Take your chopped nappa cabbage and put in a large container or bowl

2. Fill will water until it covers the top layer or cabbage

3. Add 1/4 cup salt

4. Mix the cabbage around in the salt water until every piece is pully submerged.

5. Set aside and let the cabbage salt for approx 1.5 hours.

6. After salting is complete, pour cabbage in strainer and rinse thoroughly. Set aside.

7. In a blender (or food processor if you don't mind chunks of garlic and onion) combine garlic, ginger, apple, onion, and soy sauce and blend/process, until everything is combined well. Pour contents into a large bowl, and add chopped green onions:

8.  To make rice porridge: In a medium sized pot, add 3 cups of water and 1/2 cup sweet rice flour and whisk well over med-high heat. Add 1/3 cup sugar. This will thicken up very quick, within 4-5 minutes, continue whisking the entire time. Once you see it popping up some air bubbles (as if it were beginning to boil) remove from heat and allow to cool.

The consistency should be similar to corn syrup. If it is too thick, add 1/4 cup of water.

9. When cooled, pour into your bowl with the puree and green onions. Add your rasdish, carrots, and chives if you are using them. Add 1 cup of red pepper flakes, mix, and taste. If you can take the heat, add 1/2 a cup more, and another 1/2 cup if you like it very spicy! Just make sure you do it little by little so take sure you know what you like!



Smell and taste of the kimchi paste reminds me of being in the kitchen with my grandma!



10. In a separate bowl, grab a handful of cabbage and add the kimchi paste. Mix well, then transfer to a storage container or jar.

11. Continue until you mix all of your cabbage



My mom was so proud when I sent her a picture of this :)



12. Seal with lid tightly and place in a sunny spot by a window or on your porch for at least 2 days so that it can ferment.

Note: Kimchi lasts a very long time. You can keep it in the fridge several weeks even months, but it will contiue to pickle. Depending on how sour you like your kimchi, keep storing it, but if it becomes too sour for you to eat/like, time to throw it out.

BONUS: Cucumber Kimchi! I had some leftover kimchi paste, and had some dill cucumbers on hand. Mix dill pickles with paste and place in sealed container. Let sit at room temp for 8-12 hours then transfer to fridge.

Cucumber kimchi does not last nearly as long. I would make small batches and plan to eat it within a few days. You want it to be served when it still has a "crunch", like a pickle. If its too soggy, it is not as good.

Easy Nature Silhouette Wall Art

I bought a pack of 3 canvas panels at Walmart, once again on a craft impulse. Wasn't sure what to do with them until I saw this pin on pinterest: So lovely!

The source of the pin was to another pinterest-like site called "Pin-Me" and I it was in another language I did not recognize. But the pictures of the pin were pretty straight forward.

Materials needed:

• A flat medium surface like canvas, foam board, or wood
• Gold Spray paint
• Colored spray paint of your choice, or you can use acrylic paint like I did to paint the base color

• Adhesive spray (the spray can in the picture said "KLEJ". Google said it means glue in polish. So glue in a spray can, I figured it must mean adhesive spay.)

• Random branches, flowers, or leaves from outside (I went on a long walk with my dog, specifically for this project - don't tell my dog)

Let's Craft!

1) Paint the base color you want to show in the "negative image" of the leaves/flowers. Let dry

2) Spray some adhesive and stick the leaves/flowers to the medium surface. Let dry according to directions.

The flowers on the right did not turn out so well, I suggest it you want to use flowers as your "stencil" make sure they are pressed first so that you pick up the silhouette. I just found a different plant with large leaves instead, painted the canvas green, and tried again.

3) Spray coat of gold paint over leaves/flowers and base coat.

4) Peel off your leaves/flowers. Let gold paint dry

5) Hang your art and admire!

Summer Rolls

Every time Brook and I go to our local Pho restaurant, we always order the summer rolls. We are obsessed with the Peanut Hoisin sauce that is served with it. What I love about summer rolls is that it is like sandwich - you can put anything in it. A lot of traditional Vietnamese versions include pork or shrimp.

If you read my earlier post about my house warming party, I served a vegan version with tofu, so will be sharing that recipe here:

Ingredients for Tofu Summer Roll





Rice Paper

Firm Tofu

Rice Stick (also known as rice noodles or bean thread noodles)

Romaine Lettuce (with stem cut out)

Shredded carrots or pre cut matchstick carrots

Sea salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Ingredients for Peanut Hoisin sauce:

4 TBSP Hoisin Sauce (I bought mine from Publix)

1 TBSP Creamy peanut butter

1 TSP Sesame oil

2 TBSP water

1 TBSP soy sauce

Prep:

1) Cook the rice stick according to directions, usually boil for about 5-8 minutes until soft. Strain hot water,  and rinse noodles with cold water. Set aside.

2) Open and drain tofu package, and cut tofu in long slices.

3) Preheat the frying pan to med-high heat. Add some canola oil in the pan.

4) Flick some water onto the pan, if you hear crackling or sizzling, the pan is hot enough. Add your slices of tofu, sprinkle with some sea salt and cracked pepper

5) Cook both sides of tofu until a golden brown crust as formed, remove from pan onto a plate with paper towel. Let cool.

Some got stuck to the pan - Oops!

 

Assembly:

1) Grab a large bowl or container larger than the size of the rice paper

2) Fill the bowl with lukewarm water and place one sheet of rice paper in the bowl. Make sure you use a sheet of rice paper this is not cracked or broken:

3) Allow to soak for 5-10 seconds until it softens (you to not want it to turn too soft or mushy)

4) Carefully remove rice paper and place on a kitchen towel for about 30 seconds so that it firms up again

5) When ready, move the rice paper to your prep surface (cutting board)

6) Add your fillings, I usually layer with rice stick first, carrots, lettuce, and tofu at the top.

7) Fold over one side of rice paper to the other, making a half circle

8) Fold in the sides like you would a burrito

9) Then gently, and tightly roll up the rest of the rice paper

10) Set aside on a plate and cover with a moist paper towel so it does not dry out.

11) Make sauce and serve!

Tofu summer roll with Peanut Hoisin Sauce, Shrimp summer roll with Thai sweet chili sauce







House-warming Party!

Had a get together with some friends and family this past weekend with a variety of palates to consider. Half of my guests were vegan/vegetarian, and it intimidated me a little, not gonna lie!

I have ventured into some vegetarian and vegan cuisine, and I have been really impressed by all the possibilities and options that compassionate eaters have out there. Not to mention, dairy free and meat free can still taste pretty darn good! Will I ever go to the green side? (ha, made myself laugh with that) Probably not, there are a few things I couldn't give up:

Seafood
Bulgogi/Kalbi

I hardly eat red meat, but oh, when I have an itch for some good ol' Korean food, watch out.

I heard that giving up dairy is what keeps most people from jumping over to the vegan side, but those didn't even hit my list. Eggs would be hard too, since I love me some egg in my kimchi ramen, or topped over some bibimbap. Yeah, eggs should be on my list too, although I have seen some versions of vegan "poached eggs" and "deviled eggs" in the blogshpere. It's craziness, I might try to make it one day, just because.

Anyway, I didn't want to serve just something boring and un-original like hummus- got my wheels turning and came up with this menu:

Crab cakes with cajun remoulade sauce

 Jackfruit "Crab cake" with soy yogurt chive sauce

Mini Banging shrimp tacos

Tofu summer rolls with Peanut Hoisin Sauce

Black bean, corn, and roasted poblano quesadilla (with Daiya vegan shredded cheese)

Mini Jerk Jackfruit tacos with Avocado Poblano "Crema" and roasted pepitas

Roasted corn and poblano salsa

Butternut squash goat cheese tart with sage brown butter (with cashew "goat cheese")

Toasted Coconut Panna Cotta with chocolate lace (vegan)

Cheese board: Aged White Cheddar, Brie, whole grain crostini, candied walnuts, pecans, honey apricot/cranberry chutney, cracked pepper/rosemary "goat cheese"

Fruit Salad

Raspberry Beer

In addition, Katie brought Lentil loaf, and Greta brought vegan banana split cupcakes - Delish!


Greta's Vegan Banana Split Cupcakes - she's a cupcake genius



Katie's Lentil Loaf - super yummy!



Lets start with the veganized crabcakes - they turned out great! Jackfruit is not what you think, when you hear the word fruit. It has a similar texture to pulled chicken or pork, but can taste both sweet or savory, depending on what you marinate/cook it with. The trick is to allow the jackfruit to marinate at least overnight, so that it can become infused with its full flavor potential.

After what seemed like a quest to middle earth searching Indian and Asian grocery stores, almost curling into fetal position and crying/planning a pitchfork and fire witch hunt with the local asian markets because their lack of stocking jackfruit almost made my planned menu go down in flames.... I had finally found one store that sold canned jackfruit in WATER. If making savory dishes, make sure you get the canned kind in water, NOT SYRUP.

You can buy it at Jax Oriental Market. For those of you who live in Jacksonville, You're welcome.

Jackfruit "Crab cakes"

Vegan Maryland “Crabcakes” Recipe- Made with Jackfruit

Wet Ingredients:

1 Can Jackfruit

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard

2 TBSP Nayonaise

3 TBSP Applesauce (binding agent – if you have liquid egg replacer that will work too)

2 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice

1-2 TBSP Soy Sauce

¼ Cup crumbled firm tofu (for added density and protein)

2 TBSP chopped Parsley

2 TBSP chopped Garlic

2 TBSP chopped red onion

Dry Ingredients:

¼ Cup crumbled saltine crackers
1 TBSP Old Bay seasoning

1 TSPN cracked pepper

Panko (to coat patties)

Prep:

1)      Rinse jackfruit with water a few times to rid of excess salt

2)      Cut out the “core” of the jackfruit wedges, pick out any seed pods and seed casings, and trim and pieces that have a thick “rind”. You should be left with the stringy, “meaty” bits. ****

3)      Place prepped jackfruit in a food processer and pulse gently until you reach a texture similar to lump crab “flakes”. Place in a mixing bowl. Pat dry with a paper towel as best you can.

4)      Combine all the wet ingredients, plus the old bay seasoning and pepper, mix gently.

5)      Add in the crumbled saltine crackers and fold in. Add a bit more if you find that the mixture is too wet. You want a consistency where you are able to form firm patties.

6)      Pour some Panko in a bowl – set aside

7)      Form patties and then coat with panko crumbs, pressing the crumbs into the patties until they are coat evenly

8)      Place formed patties on a plate, and then cover with saran wrap or foil.

9)      Allow the patties to marinate overnight in the fridge.

*** This step is optional- but it you want your cakes to have a “seafood” flavor – you can place the jackfruit in a pot of hot water, with a few pieces of dried seaweed and let soak for about 30 min. Remove seaweed and drain, pat dry and proceed to step 3. Or, you can add some powdered arame as one of your dry ingredients – maybe ½ tsp at first, add some more to taste.

Cook:

1)      Preheat pan on med-high heat. Add some olive oil or earth balance.

2)      Place a few patties on the hot pan, allow 3-5 minutes on each side, with a golden brown color.

3)      Serve while hot, and top with chive “tartar sauce”*.

Chive Tartar sauce:

½ cup plain  soy yogurt or Nayonaise

2 TBSP fresh chives

Garlic salt or garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and dollop on jackfruit crabcakes.



Real crab cakes on left, Jack fruit crab cakes on right, look pretty darn convincing don't they?



Some other pictures of the food, sorry, I didn't get a chance to take a lot of pics, I was so busy cooking, cleaning, and hosting!



Cheese board: with Vegan cashew "goat cheese"

 

Toasted coconut panna cotta with chocolate lace



Food is ready!



The party was a success, it was great to see everyone and catch up and enjoy the evening. I will be posting additional recipes for the other menu items on seperate posts.